5 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your next Pattern: What to Do When You Run Out of Ideas?
We have all had those days when we run out of ideas. Everything we try to make starts to look flat or has already been done and we just need to take a step back so we can reset our
Surface Pattern Design: Q and A
When I thought about getting into surface pattern design I had a ton of questions. Do I need to be good at drawing? Can I learn from the internet or would I benefit from formal schooling? All of these questions
Adobe Illustrator 101: Using Illustrator Shapes to Create Objects
Most basic artwork made in Adobe Illustrator uses shapes. Take this Abacus for example: The circular balls were made using the ellipse tool. Each side of the abacus as well as the poles the balls are on use the rectangle tool. Even the
Showcasing your Artwork: How to make a Polaroid Garland
I am always looking for new ways to show off my patterns and designs so when I started to get into Polaroids I thought I could make my own Polaroids to feature my designs. To make this tutorial as easy as
How to Make a Coffee Cup in Adobe Illustrator
For this week's blog post I wanted to teach you how to actually make something, in this case, a coffee cup. This tutorial requires some knowledge of basic Adobe Illustrator functions, however, I have provided links to relevant articles that explain
Daily/Weekly Blog Checklist
For those of you that don’t know, this is actually my second blog. I had my first blog for almost 2 years and with minimal effort put into that blog, my blog traffic reflected that. This time around I am
3 Days of Instagram Ads: The Results
I wanted to drive more traffic to my blog/Instagram because let's face it, I’m impatient so I decided to create an Instagram Ad. It was supposed to run for 4 days at 5 dollars a day but sometimes things don’t
How to Create 3D Block Letters in Illustrator
If you’ve ever tried to make block letters by hand it can be quite difficult to get the proportions right on each letter. Lucky for us Illustrator has a 3D effect tool that makes it easy to create 3D block
How to Make a Color Lighter or Darker in Adobe Illustrator
What I like about design software is you are able to develop your own ways of doing things. I tend to like the very dumb down, simple ways of working in Illustrator and this is one of them. A while back
Design Challenge #6: Design a pattern about something on your bucket list
I am not a thrill seeker. Rollercoasters beyond the scope of what is offered at Disneyland scare me, but for some reason, the idea of floating in the air in a hot air balloon I'm ok with. Ever since I
